Can opener



Dec. 17, 1935.

E. J. HILEMAN ET AL CAN OPENER Filed Jan. 15

. I N VEN TORS Ernest cl Hi/eman Mic/me! J Sc/eusfer Mud;

A TTORNE Y Patented Dec. 17, 1935 PATENT oFFmE CAN OPENER Ernest J. Hileman and Michael J. Schuster, Cleveland, Ohio Application January 13, 1934, Serial No. 706,484

4 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in can openers of the type which uses a small rotating driving wheel to actuate a cutting tool causing it to travel around the top of the can.

One object of this invention is to provide improved means for piercing the can and locking the device on the can by means of a lever.

Another object is to provide a device that will remove the can top equally well whether turned to the right or the left.

Further objects and advantages may be noted from the following specification and its accompanying illustrations, in which:

Fig. l is a front elevation of the device in locking position.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the device in looking position.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the device in open position on a can.

Fig. 4 is similar to Fig. 3 but shows the device in locked position on a can.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of the device showing the position of the device when handle is turned to the right.

Fig. 6 is similar view to Fig. 5 showing the position of the device when the handle is turned to the left.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the body of the device and the guide plate.

Fig. 8 is a sectional View of the handle, slide and driving wheel mounted on the body with a fragment of the lever and link.

Referring to the illustrations: The body I ll consists of a plate which has a slot H at the middle of the bottom edge which widens into a round aperture I2 and ends in an elongated wide slot l3 near the top of the body Ill.

The legs l4 and I5 formed by the slot II are rolled at it and I! to rigidly retain a pin I8 therein, and mounted pivotally upon said pin I8 is a link 19 folded as at 29 to receive a locking lever 2| when in looking position. The arms 22 and 23 formed by the fold 29 are attached by a pivot pin 24 to the locking lever 2| at the curved portion 25 of said locking lever.

The upper end 26 of the locking lever is mounted pivotally on a pin 21 retained within a split hinge 28 at the base of a slide 29, said slide having a plurality of fingers 30 which embrace the rounded edges of the body ID in such man ner as to give a smooth gliding movement as the slide is moved up and down by the toggle action of the lever 2|.

Mounted rotatably within an aperture 3| in said slide 29 is a disc 32 to which is rigidly attached a handle 33 by means of a shaft 34 which extends through the disc 32, and a small driving wheel 35 on the inner side of the body It), said driving wheel being journaled upon said shaft with the driving wheel hub 36 against the disc 5 32 and slidable within the elongated slot l3.

A guide plate 31 with angularly projecting arms 38 and 39 is pivotally attached to the body l9 by a pivot pin 49 mounted throughthe body It]; a notch 4| in said guide plate 3! with a. pin 10 42 mounted through body I0 limits the movement of the guide plate to the width of the slot. An elongated aperture 43 in said guide plate 31 prevents the guide plate binding on the rivet 44 which projects through the body l9.

A parting or cutting tool or blade 45 is superimposed over the guide plate 31 and retained rigidly in position by means of the pins 40 and 42 and the rivet 44. The lower portion of the parting or cutting tool is cut on an angle from the center to form cutting edges 46 and 41.

In operation, the lever 2! is raised to, the position shown in Fig. 3, the parting or cutting tool 45 is placed on the inside edge of the can 48 with the body ID on the outside, the lever 2| is then 2 pulled down to the locking position against the can 48, this moves the slide 29 up on the body l9, thus drawing the driving wheel 35 against the seam 49 as shown in Fig. 4, the cutting tool piercing the top of the can. The handle 33 when rotated to the left pivots the guide plate 3'! to the position shown in Fig. 5 with the arm 39 bearing on the top of the can 48; if however, the handle 33 is rotated to the right the guide plate 31 pivots to the position shown in Fig. 6 35 with the arm 38 bearing on the top of can 48, and the turning of the handle in either direction causes the can to rotate on the driving wheel 35 and the parting tool 45 cuts the top from the can, using the cutting edge 45 when used as in Fig. 6 but when used as in Fig. 5 the cutting edge 41 is used.

, In locking the device to the can, the lever 2| is pushed down until the link l9 presses against the can 48, and the pivot pin 24 is thus inside 45 the center line of the pivot pins l8 and 21 which tends to hold the lever 2| in the locking position until released by an upward pull on said lever. The device will not release its hold upon the top of the can until the lever is moved up- 50 ward to the unlocked position. The toggle action of the lever 2| and link l9 presses the slide 29 upwardly and pulls the body plate Ill downwardly', thereby engaging the wheel 35 with the seam of the can and forcing the blade 45 into .5

top, a self-locking toggle comprising a link pivoted to the lower part of the plate and a lever pivoted to the link and the lower part of the slide, said toggle operating in the slot, and a rotatable feed wheel carried by the slide and arranged to engage the rim of the can.

2. A can opener as in claim 1, the toggle link and lever being pivoted to swing in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the plate.

3. A can opener comprising a plate having a slot extending upwardly from the lower edge thereof, and adapted to be placed beside the can body, a slide movable up and down on said plate, a feed wheel carried by the slide and having a bearing in the upper part of the slide, a depending blade mounted on the upper end of the plate, and a toggle connected between the plate and the slide and working in the slot laterally to and from contact with-the can body.

4. A can opener comprising a body plate, a slide thereon, a toggle lever and link connection between the plate and slide, a blade carried by the plate and adapted to pierce a can top by the operation of the toggle, and a feeding wheel carried by the slide and aranged to engage the rim of the can to revolve the same, the plate having a slot and the toggle being located to swing into said slot. 7

' ERNEST J. HILEMAN.

MICHAEL J. SCHUSTER. 

